Reporting the retrieval of a previously lost or stolen travel document and not using such a document to cross the state border.

Why are travel documents so valuable?

Reporting a missing identity document is fundamental to prevent or reduce the possibility of misuse, identity theft and other illegal activities. Stolen and lost passports can be used by fugitives and terrorists to cross borders undetected, but they can be very valuable also for other criminal purposes such as opening a bank account as part of a money laundering process.

The first step is reporting the disappearance, loss, or theft of a travel document in line with your country’s national procedures.

Your country then shares this data with INTERPOL. The information is collected into the Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database . Interpol and police officers can check can check a travel document against the SLTD database to see if it is valid and obtain results within seconds.

What should I do if I find my document again?

Passports and ID cards are most often found with the citizens who have reported their disappearance! If you have reported a lost passport and you find it again, report it to the police and do not try to travel on it. If you have reported your passport as lost or stolen it will no longer be valid for travel.